Quaker & Business

Tickets are now available for the Quaker & Business Gathering 2018.

Date & Time: Saturday 30th June 2018, 9am – 5pm
Location: Friargate Quaker Meeting House, Friargate, York YO1 9RL

This year’s theme is Quaker Leadership, and as one of the planning committee I’m delighted that we’ve been able to get three really interesting speakers.

A provocative and creative opportunity to explore the links between leadership of organisations and people, and Quaker experience and values of leadership amongst our worshipping communities.

You can see the full programme for the day, and how to buy tickets on the Q&B website.

Bursaries are available – please contact the clerks of Q&B for more details.

Looking forward to this – it will be an interesting day!

Building Peace Together a Practical Resource

Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) has produced a useful report with practical resources:

The visibility of violent conflict from all over the world in our daily digest of news and media creates a sense that violence – or the threat of violence – is ever-present, when in fact, it is peace that is the norm. Building Peace Together makes the case for peacebuilding and provides a myriad of tools that can be used by actors across the board.

Download a copy to read, which includes 40 tools and 80 examples of nonviolent peacebuilding, and then try out the resources suggested.

Who are QCEA?

The Quaker Council for European Affairs was founded in 1979 to bring a vision of peace, justice and equality to Europe and its institutions. QCEA advocates for nonviolent approaches to conflict resolution, the intrinsic equality of all people everywhere, and a sustainable way of life for everyone so that the one Earth we share can support us all.

You can find out more at their website: http://www.qcea.org/ They’ve just issued this year’s epistle where they say:

QCEA is working from a vision with specific goals to create change politically and culturally, focusing on the two main programmes of Human Rights and Peace. The reports on child immigration detention, and hate speech in online news comment sections bring ethical substance to debate within the EU. Work in quiet diplomacy, networking, coordinating with other organisations, and cultural activities make QCEA an important player in Brussels. The results of these activities are sometimes difficult to anticipate, but will resonate in the long-term.

I was sorry to see that they are working on a budget deficit at the moment, and hope their appeal for more funds to support this work will raise enough money for their work to continue.

A&Q 1 and Christian Entrepreneurship

While I love Advice & Queries 1, “Take heed, dear Friends, to the promptings of love and truth in your hearts. Trust them as the leadings of God whose Light shows us our darkness and brings us to new life.” I had not previously considered it as business advice.

During last week’s Churches & Commerce conference, Richard Frazer, Minister Greyfriars Kirk Edinburgh, gave us some thoughts on approaches to a theology for entrepreneurs.

As a Quaker I try hard to remember that all things are equally sacred – work, play, rest, worship… So I was intrigued by Richard’s comments that he thought the first Apostle Andrew was also an entrepreneur in the way he handled his big opportunity (meeting Jesus) by recognising that:

• it was an opportunity
• he wasn’t the right person to handle this alone
• he knew others who needed to be part of this opportunity

Andrew was humble enough to leave Jesus, and go fetch Simon Peter, but also continued to network and bring people he felt would be useful. Andrew found the boy with the loaves and fishes, for example. Of course he was also a fisherman, so would have been used to networking as part of running a small business. Dealing with clients who wanted to buy his fish as well as the others who worked in the family business, other fishermen, etc.

Money Making as Mission

Yesterday, during Meeting for Worship, ministry was shared about how a childhood prayer asking for ‘G*D’s guidance, love and protection‘, took on a new deeper meaning when the speaker twisted from ‘asking’ to ‘being ready to receive by standing in a place of gratitude for the blessings already received’.

This connected with my musings, over the last few days, about the difference between networks and business plans compared to G*D’s community & plans. A concept mirrored by the interconnectedness of the tree branches lining my view from the room.

I’m often asked how I can see running a business, making money, and working with clients to help them do likewise, as a mission. For me, it depends on where you start.

If you are rooted into a firm foundation of G*D’s love and truth, and are looking at these opportunities as ones where you can make a difference by creating or facilitating a profit, network, etc., that then allows you to work from a place of gratitude and thankfulness, with a quiet certainty that you are following the leadings of G*D for you.

This is very different viewpoint and attitude to one that is only in it for the profit, or personal gain, and leads to different choices. But it does require continual awareness and consideration of which state I’ve slipped into, and a regular drawing back to the centre where I can hear those quiet promptings.

The annual conference was held at Friends House, always a pleasure to spend time there.

The day was very full – with more workshops I wanted to attend than I could, which is always a good sign.

You can read the full minute and report on Q&B’s website: http://qandb.org/qbc17

Priming the Brain

My highlights were a workshop with Claire James from Pivotal Moment on Priming the Brain. Claire talked about the new discoveries in neural science are showing how people can consciously shape their thinking environment, and help them make better decisions.

Charity Governance and the Quaker Business Method

Shivaji Shiva from Anthony Collins Solicitors gave a good overview of Charity Governance and the Quaker Business Method. I’ve done several workshop/seminars exploring and explaining Governance, but it was good to have a specific workshop aimed at Quaker Charity Governance.

Including a quote: ‘Recognition of the fact that good charity governance is difficult to achieve is a useful first step.’ Something to keep in mind, as we struggle to be good trustees and committee members.

Lots of notes to work through – and hopefully a couple of blog posts to come.

• Do you have flowers or books on a table in the middle of Meeting for Worship?
• If you do – what books and who chooses them?
• Have you worshipped outside?

All of these questions and more are being asked by Peter Duckworth who is coming to the end of a two year Equipping For Ministry (EFM) Course at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. During the course he has developed an interest in the motivations for use of flowers and books in Meeting for Worship. Many Friends are deeply attached to the practice though it is a relatively recent innovation, one not generally used by American Friends and alien to the practice of early Quakers.

As part of his EFM Project, Peter was prompted to find out more about how widespread the practice is and what the experience and understanding of Friends might be. He has developed a short ‘flowers in meeting survey‘ which he asks for Friends to complete – it won’t take long and each answer helps to give a fuller picture.

My current meeting meets in rented accommodation and doesn’t tend to have flowers; many people don’t have a garden to plunder or come by bike. I haven’t noticed any difference in how I settle or worship without flowers – but do enjoy them when they appear.